The ultimate guide to sublimation and how it works. Sublimation, in its simplest form, is the process of converting a solid to gas without passing through an intermediate liquid phase.
It can also refer to the absorption and release of a substance by a living organism, such as breathing or photosynthesis, or in the context of culture, it can refer to the conversion of meaning into symbols and actions.
What can you sublimate on?
When you take a step back, it’s pretty astounding how many items are available for sublimation printing. Sure, most people think of shirts first—and those still make up a bulk of what is printed—but anything with a flat surface can be done.
Key chains, phone cases, bags, towels, just about anything. There are limits depending on how intricate or small you want your design to be but if there’s one thing we’ve learned at Express Yourself! over 20 years it’s that people want to express themselves and they want as many ways as possible do it. And we love helping!
The Ultimate Guide to Sublimation
Introduction: Why It Works
The Law of Diminishing Intent states that as intent is spread over a wide area, it weakens. Just like real estate, sublimation is all about location, location, location. It’s not just what you do with your time; it’s where you put your mind.
When you force yourself to think about something while doing something else — which we call sublimate — like driving or going for a walk, you prevent that thing from consuming valuable real estate in your brain.
This can help stave off unwanted cravings and emotions in vulnerable moments, such as eating when we’re sad or angry and smoking when we’re stressed out — in other words: all of life!
How it works – different printing methods

There are two main ways of printing on t-shirts: Heat Transfer Printing and Direct To Garment (DTG). The former is also known as Silk Screen Printing. The heat transfers a pattern onto a transfer paper, which is then applied on top of a garment.
The DTG method, on the other hand, uses inkjet printers to print directly onto garments. It’s more popular than heat transfer printing because it gives you much finer control over color and image quality than traditional silk screen methods do.
Why You Should Use Sublimation Printing
You can create custom t-shirts and get your message across with sublimation printing. It’s a fast, flexible process that is perfect for small businesses or anyone who wants to give out promotional items.
There’s no setup fee and you don’t need a minimum number of products. Check out our handbook on how sublimation works, what it’s used for, and how it compares to traditional screen printing options.
5 Benefits of Using Sublimation Printing
When deciding whether or not sublimation printing is right for your business, it’s a good idea to look at some of its major benefits. These include: no plates needed, no minimum order requirement, less storage space needed (vs. stock), longer lasting prints and full color printing capabilities.
As you can see, sublimation has a lot going for it—why wouldn’t you want to use it? So here are five benefits of using sublimation printing!
Which Products Can Be Printed?
There are many products that can be printed onto! However, it is important to keep in mind that certain processes and products are better suited for certain items. For example, ceramics should never be printed on due to their porous properties and will not stick well.
On top of knowing which products can be printed on you also need to know which processes work best with each material. There are three main printing techniques: Direct-to-Garment (DTG), Digital-Direct-to-Fabric (DDMF), and Screen Printing.
Because of these techniques there are three main substrates that your product can be printed onto: natural fabrics, synthetic fabrics, and a combination of both natural and synthetic fabrics.
Is There Any Restrictions When It Comes To Colours And Textures?
Absolutely! You can find anything from good old t-shirts to hoodies, swimwear and jackets. There’s really no shortage of materials that you can sublimate on.
You’ll just need to make sure you research your options and consider where your design will be placed on a garment before finalizing a purchase. This way you can ensure that your final product looks exactly as you imagined it would in your own mind’s eye!
How Long Does It Take For My Product To Get Printed?
It can take a couple weeks for your order to be shipped.It depends on how many orders there are ahead of you. The sooner you place your order, the quicker it will get printed and shipped. And yes, we do ship internationally! We have customers all over!
Can I Customize My Designs On Printify?

Printify is a platform that allows you to upload your artwork and get it printed on a wide variety of products. You can’t customize your designs through Printify, but there are so many products available for customization! They have blankets, cups, mugs and more.
There are also t-shirts for men, women and kids. All of these items come in a number of styles and colors as well. You can even use your own photos for some products! Overall, Printify is a very easy platform to use when designing t-shirts or other merchandise. They have all kinds of different options available at affordable prices too.
Conclusion
In today’s day and age, you can sublimate almost anything. Although it might sound like a science fiction term at first, sublimating is just a fancy way of saying swapping one thing for another. For example, if you are tired of paying high monthly utility bills in your apartment, consider sublimating your air conditioning system by installing ceiling fans instead.
Ceiling fans cool you off without running up your monthly electricity bill. So, next time someone asks What can you sublimate on? Have a solid answer at hand! You don’t want to look silly by not knowing what they’re talking about or laughing awkwardly at their joke that they’ve taken so seriously.
Last Updated on October 24, 2022